Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

An Evaluation Of Root End Filling Materials Using Endotoxin, Hong-Ming Tang

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Mineral Trioxide Aggregates (MTA) was recently developed at Loma Linda University. It has been shown to possess good sealing ability when tested with dye, bacteria, and a fluid filtration technique.

Endotoxin is a component of the cell wall of Gram negative bacteria. It has been proposed that it may play a role in the pathogenesis of periradicular lesions. Previous studies have demonstrated that MTA can prevent the leakage of bacteria. However, the bacterial products were not tested during these studies.

This study used endotoxin to compare the sealing ability of SuperEBA, IRM, amalgam, and MTA.

The results showed that MTA …

A Pilot Study Testing A Proprietary Sealant For Plaque Reduction, Jennifer Rowland

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Enamel demineralization due to increased plaque accumulation is a well-recognized problem associated with fixed orthodontic appliances. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a proprietary product to be marketed by 3M Unitek for the reduction of plaque accumulation and thereby reduce enamel demineralization.

Sixty four bovine teeth were divided equally into an untreated control group and a group treated with the proprietary sealant product. Both groups were subsequently immersed in a Streptococcus mutans culture. Plaque deposits from each group were removed, suspended in trypticase soy broth, serially diluted, and plated on trypticase soy agar at 1, …

A Model Using Radiation And Pws4-Htnf-Α Gene Therapy For Treatment Of Glioblastomas, Angelo G. Baher

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The efficacy of radiotherapy for cancer is limited by the dose that can be safely delivered to the tumor without causing debilitating side effects. In addition, successful treatment of highly malignant tumors such as glioblastomas is likely to require adjunctive therapies to enhance tumor response to radiation. Previous studies have shown immunomodulation and a synergestic reduction in tumor volume of malignant tumors when tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) protein is administered prior to radiation. The major goal of the present investigation was to evaluate the efficacy of pWS4-human TNF-α (pWS4-hTNF-α), a new plasmid construct that expresses human TNF-α protein, together with …

The Relationship Between Tamoxifen And Depressive Symptoms In Women With Breast Cancer, Terry Marie Lynn

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine whether women with breast cancer and the presence of the drug tamoxifen, are more severely depressed than women with breast cancer and the absence of tamoxifen. Average Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores did not differ between the two sub-groups; however, two significant group differences were found. First, 10 women in the tamoxifen group had scores of zero (versus 4 in the absence of prescribed tamoxifen group). Research has shown that scores of zero do not always reflect an absence of depression. Second, the most severely depressed women (BDI scores in the 25 …

An In Vitro Study Of Plaque Deposition And Its Comparative Effect On Bond Strength, Debra L. Finch Cook

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Treatment with fixed orthodontic appliances can change the environment in the oral cavity by creating stagnant areas that facilitate bacterial colonization and substance retention. The purpose of this study was to examine in vitro plaque formation associated with bonded orthodontic appliances and how this could affect bonding strengths.

Ortho Concise and Transbond XT were the composite resin materials used in this study. Mandibular incisor metal brackets were bonded to bovine mandibular anterior teeth. Each composite resin was studied in two groups: plaque growth and without plaque growth, and their bond strengths were compared at time intervals of 3,45, and 180 …

Analysis Of Serotonin And Postural Instability In Parkinson’S Disease, Sandra Kuniyoshi

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Postural instability is one of the most debilitating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and the best clinical prognostic indicator of progressive disease. Significant differences in neuropathology, neurochemistry, response to L-dopa therapy and stereotactic surgery as well as prognosis have been identified in subtypes when patients with predominant postural instability and gait difficulty (PIGD)/Type B were differentiated from those with predominant symptoms of tremor and rigidity/Type A. Postural instability is resistant to the therapeutic effects of L-dopa, despite its continued efficacy on other Parkinson’s symptomatology, implicating the nondopaminergic mechanism of postural instability in Parkinson’s disease. Patients with significant postural instability and gait …

Measurement Of Autonomic Function In Renal Disease And Diabetes, Ann King Cashion

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Renal disease and diabetes lead to dysautonomia resulting in consequences ranging from gastroparesis to sudden death. New technologies to detect dysautonomia, such as 24-hr heart rate variability, are being evaluated and compared to traditional evoked tests. These advances have, however, lead to a lack of standardization in testing batteries, procedures, and reporting formats. This series of 3 studies psychometrically assessed measures of autonomic function (AF) and explored relationships among objective and subjective measures in healthy adults and uremic patients. Participants underwent evoked tests that included change in heart rate with deep breathing and Valsalva. In addition, measures of 24-hr HRV …

Effect Of Postmenopausal Hormone Replacement Therapy On Heart Rate Variability, Diane Todd Pace

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Minimal research has addressed effects of postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of cardiovascular autonomic balance and a predictor of cardiac morbidity/mortality. Using an exploratory, pre-test/post-test design to describe HRV in postmenopausal women (PMW) before/after six weeks of HRT, twenty-four Black (n=15) and White (n=9) women, (mean age=55±4 years), were recruited from two primary care clinics (n=20) and one church population (n=4) in a large urban midsouth community. Cardiovascular risk factors for the sample included chronic illnesses of DM (n=8), HRT (n=11), both DM and HRT (n=4), smoking (n=9), non-exercise (n=11), and obesity quantified …

Does The Oswestry Or Sf-36 Help A Therapist To Predict Treatment Classification, Amy Crawford, Denese D. Kaufeldt-Soliz

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship of two disability questionnaires, the Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire (Oswestry) and the Medical Outcome Study Short Form-36 (SF-36), and a standardized physical examination and diagnostic classification system. The physical examination was performed by the evaluating therapists from the clinic and classification was determined by the evaluating therapists and the investigators to ensure correct subject placement into treatment Stages la, lb, or II. Data collection occurred at an outpatient physical therapy clinic in a metropolitan area health maintenance organization, where a sample of 221 subjects with low back pain …

Regeneration In Periodontal Defects With Rhbmp-2 : A Dosage Study, Paola Guglielmoni

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) have been shown to induce bone formation in ectopic and orthotopic sites. This inductive capability has led to their evaluation as possible adjuncts in periodontal reconstructive therapy. Indeed, studies have reported periodontal regeneration following surgical implantation of recombinant human BMP-2. This study evaluated regeneration of alveolar bone and cementum following periodontal reconstructive surgery including implantation of a construct consisting of sterile lyophilized rhBMP-2 in buffer adsorbed onto an absorbable collagen sponge. Critical size mandibular supra-alveolar periodontal defects were surgically created, and an incomplete block design was used to evaluate the regenerative potential of rhBMP-2 at 0.05, …

Relationships Between Posttraumatic Stress, Acculturation, And Maternal Sensitivity In Vietnamese And Hmong Mothers, Gwendolyn F. Foss Dnsc

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to determine if posttraumatic stress (PTS), depression, and anxiety occurred in a community sample of Vietnamese and Hmong mothers and to describe relationships between PTS, depression, anxiety, acculturation and maternal sensitivity. Transition theory (Bridges, 1980), and a conceptual model of parenting in immigrant populations building on Belsky's (1984) work, provided the theoretical framework (Foss, 1996). The sample was divided evenly between Vietnamese and Hmong participants. Ages ranged from 17–43 years, time lived in the United States ranged from 3–21 years, and education ranged from no formal education to completion of college. Maternal sensitivity was …

Nursing Home Ownership And Public Policy: An Historical Analysis, K. R. Kaffenberger

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

In the early days of the United States, care of the disabled elderly outside the home meant the public almshouse. By the 1920s, private, nonprofit homes for the aged were prevalent. More recently, private, for-profit facilities have grown to dominate the field.

For-profit ownership has been controversial. Underlying the controversy is the concern that quality might be lowered in order to enhance profit.

This study asks why most nursing homes are privately owned and why most privately owned nursing homes are operated for profit. It does so with reference to The Nonprofit Economy, in which Burton Weisbrod describes a …

The Level Of Confidence Of School Nurses To Perform 46 Specified School Nursing Services, Camille Maysonave Brinks

Master's Projects

The newly hired, novice school nurse often transitions from a baccalaureate program or an acute care setting to the school nurse role. This newly hired school nurse may be ill prepared for the wide range of services required in school nursing. The California, coastal school district where this pilot study took place, needed to develop an orientation program for newly hired school nurses. The purpose of the project was to ascertain confidence levels of novice school nurses in performing their new role as compared to experienced nurses. Benner's framework "From Novice to Expert" was used to guide this study. The …

Nurse Practitioners' Practices Related To Testicular Cancer And Testicular Self-Examination, April E. Schwegel

Master's Projects

Testicular cancer remains the number one cancer for men age 15 through 35. Early detection is essential to decrease morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the extent to which California nurse practitioners screen for testicular cancer and the frequency of teaching testicular self-examination to patients. The study surveyed 425 adult or family nurse practitioners, currently practicing in the state of California, with a patient population that includes males age 15-35. The study supported the previous findings of Sladden and Dickinson (1995). Nurse practitioners do believe that testicular self-examination is an effective screening method …

Are We Asking The Right Questions? An Evaluation Of Client Reportability To Medical Providers Concerning Concurrent Use Of Alternative Therapies, Nektarios Butterfield

Master's Projects

The use of alternative therapies in the United States is becoming more and more prevalent. One out of three Americans use alternative therapies and the failure to report the use of alternative therapies could affect the client's health. The purpose of this study was to explore the extent to which clients use and report their use of alternative therapies to their medical care provider, as well as identifying barriers to reporting. A sample (N= 50) was selected randomly from a phone book. Of those 34 (68%) who used alternative therapies, 64% (n=32) reported use of alternative therapies while receiving medical …

The Relationship Between Family Functioning And Pregnancy Among Teens, Karen Tucker

Electronic Dissertations and Theses

Little is known about what makes teens experiment with sex earlier and earlier in their lives. These young girls are faced with the burden and responsibility of parenthood at a time in their lives when they are coping poorly with their own developmental tasks. The teen's perception of family functioning may have a direct impact upon adolescent risk for pregnancy. This study investigated the relationship between family functioning and pregnancy among 13- to 19-year-olds using the Family Apgar Questionnaire. Although no significant difference between perception of family functioning and incidence of pregnancy was found, this study did conclude that age …

Knowledge, Attitudes And Behavior Of African American Undergraduate College Students Concerning Primary Preventative Health, Lionas Mayes

McCabe Thesis Collection

African Americans' knowledge about primary preventive health and their attitudes toward primary preventive health influence their health behavior. Primary preventive health behavior is also affected by the individuals' definition of health and the significance they ascribe to their health status. Attitudes toward primary preventive health determine whether health assessment is important in preventing disease. African Americans have a myriad of views about health and general well being. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between primary preventive health knowledge, primary preventive health attitudes and primary preventive health behavior in African American undergraduate students. A survey will be …

Anger Management For Adults, Gary L. Heath

Graduate Theses

Eight adults participated in a 2 part anger management course in a quasiexperimental within-subjects outcome study. Anger was described with the Anger Cycle®. Cognitive, relaxation and social skills training were used to teach alternative strategies for expressing anger. The Anger Information Test (AIT) and the State Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) were administered at pretreatment, posttreatment and follow-up (2 weeks later). Seven subscales of the STAXI were used; Trait Anger, Anger Temperament, Anger Reactivity, Anger In, Anger Out, Anger Control and Anger Expression. An overall significant within-subjects difference was found on .changes from both tests. Two of the 4 hypothesized …

Age And Violent Sexual Abuse: Does Victim's Age And Violence Associated With Sexual Abuse Influence The Risk Of Suicide?, Debra A. Keel

Graduate Theses

Previous research on childhood sexual abuse has indicated an increased risk of suicide for children who experience more severe sexual abuse and children who experience sexual abuse accompanied by physical abuse. This study investigated the difference in suicide risk associated with varying severity of sexual abuse, and the difference in suicide risk associated with age at the time of sexual abuse. Data was collected from the psychological records of a state juvenile correctional facility for boys. Statistical analysis revealed no significant difference between those who experienced penetrating sexual abuse versus non-penetrating sexual abuse; however, an overall significant difference was found …

Nudel, An Unusual Mosaic Protease Involved In Defining The Embryonic Dorsal-Ventral Axis Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Charles Chansik Hong

Yale Medicine Thesis Digital Library

Dorsal-ventral polarity of the Drosophila embryo is determined by positional information that originates outside of the embryo. This information, which is created during oogenesis by the somatic follicle cells swrounding the oocyte, is utilized following fertilization to trigger a spatially regulated serine protease cascade in the extraembryonic perivitelline space. This protease cascade, which appears to be activated only on the presumptive ventral side of the embryo, generates the ligand for the Toll transmembrane protein that polarizes the embryo by inducing ventral development.This thesis presents evidence that nudel, a gene maternally required in somatic tissue for the formation of Toll's ligand, …

Patient-Guided Investigation Of The Restoration Of Health Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Nancy Ann Carney

Dissertations and Theses

The development of emergency department medical interventions and the implementation of fast-transport trauma systems has decreased the rate of death resulting from traumatic brain injury (TBI). Without corresponding methods for long-term treatment and recovery, the prevalence of people disabled by TBI has increased, creating a growing public health problem. Investigations generated by physicians, rehabilitation programs, and social scientists, which attempt to associate standard measures of injury severity with outcome, leave unexplained variance in long-term functional status for persons with TBI.

The purpose of this investigation was to use persons with brain injury and their family members, to guide an analysis …

Reliability And Validity Of Assessing Student Performance Of Psychomotor Skills In Entry Level Physical Therapy Curricula, Nancy Sue Darr

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Physical therapists rely on a large repertoire of psychomotor skills for patient evaluation and treatment. Reliable and accurate assessments of student performance of psychomotor skills are required to provide feedback to students and faculty, to establish student competence, and to enable faculty members to evaluate their instructional methods. In this study a scoring system was designed to objectively assess student performance of five selected ankle joint mobilization procedures. A detailed task analysis was performed on each joint mobilization procedure, which included dividing each procedure into 13 subtasks. Criteria were written for successful completion of each task and subtask. A scoring …

Major Trauma Outcomes: At What Cost? And For Whom? A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis, A. Elaine Bond Dnsc, Msn, Aprn, Ccrn

Dissertations

The purpose of this triangulated descriptive study was threefold: (a) to identify the financial costs for acute trauma care, including costs for those who die early in treatment, and who pays those costs; (b) to identify the relationship between costs and severity of injury; and (c) to identify survivor functional and psychosocial costs, or quality of life, not only by current health care outcome criteria, but also from patients' and families' perspectives. Retrospective review determined the financial differences (total charges of $9,945,973 and institutional costs of $7,089,962) for 370 patients' severity of injury and functional outcomes at discharge, using the …

Testing A Theoretical Model Of Critical Thinking And Cognitive Development, Jane Rapps Dnsc, Ms, Msed, Rn

Dissertations

The goal of nursing education is to educate individuals in such a way that they become self-determining, independent thinkers who are prepared to keep pace with the rapidly changing demands of today's health care system. Nurses must utilize critical thought and reasoned action in clinical practice in order to render state of the art health care for individuals, families, groups, and communities. The purpose of this study was to test a proposed theoretical model of critical thinking and cognitive development. Perry's theory of adult cognitive development and Kataoka-Yahiro and Saylor's Critical Thinking Model for Nursing Judgment guided this research. Data …

Quantal Mechanisms Underlying Stimulation-Induced Augmentation And Potentiation, Hong Cheng

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Repetitive stimulation of motor nerves causes an increase in the number of packets of transmitter ("quanta") that can be released in the ensuing period. This represents a type of conditioning, in which synaptic transmission may be enhanced by prior activity. Despite many studies of this phenomenon, there have been no investigations of the quantal mechanisms underlying these events, due to the rapid changes in transmitter output and the short time periods involved. To examine this problem, a method was developed in which estimates of the quantal release parameters could be obtained over very brief periods (3 s). Conventional microelectrode techniques …

Depression In Immigrant Chinese-American Elders, Sandy Chen Stokes

Master's Projects

Depression in later life is a treatable mental disorder (Blazer, 1993) if it is recognized as depression. Because depressive disorders may often go unrecognized and untreated in the Chinese-American elderly population and because treatment for depression can dramatically improve the quality of these later years, correct diagnosis and intervention are vital.

Acculturation Of A Mexican-American Male Population And Gender Role Conflict, Gary Evan Leka

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study examined the effects of different modes of acculturation upon self reported levels of gender role conflict, and explored the relationship among acculturative stress, the concepts of Machismo and Familism and gender role conflicts. Hispanic males (N = 164) from a university with an 90% Hispanic enrollment were surveyed. Low Bicultural subjects differed significantly upon the factors of restrictive emotionality and restrictive affectionate behavior between men than other modes of acculturation. Machismo was found to be significantly related to stress and conflicts with gender roles, while Familism was found to be related to two of the patterns of gender …

Being Alone: The Experience Of Elderly Homebound Females, Sharon Davis Burt Dnsc, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

Elderly women comprise one of the fastest growing segments of the population in the United States. This growth is due in large part to increasing longevity, and a woman's life expectancy has now reached 79 years. However, along with those added years comes an increase in morbidity and a greater likelihood of living alone. This study describes the life experience of a specific group of elderly women, those who are homebound and living alone. When elderly women are included in research, the same combination of descriptors used for the participants in this study has not been incorporated. Consequently, while much …

The Journey Through Perspective Transformation: Learning Nursing Theory, Judith R. Heggie Dnsc, Ms, Rn

Dissertations

Through the use of grounded theory, educational methods most useful for nurses to achieve a perspective transformation, as exemplified by learning nursing theory were examined. Perspective transformation is a theory originally developed by Mezirow (1978) in a study of older women returning to college for additional education. Mezirow defined perspective transformation as the alteration or change of meaning perspectives. Perspective transformation in an individual can be compared to a paradigm change within a scientific community. Within the nursing literature on perspective transformation, most articles related to the perspective transformation needed for nurses to learn to use nursing theory as the …

The Experience Of Decision-Making Among Telephone Advice/Triage Nurses, Ann Mayo Dnsc, Msn, Rn

Dissertations

The role of the telephone advice/triage nurse is both complex and demanding. All decisions are made while assessing patients without seeing or touching patients. In addition, the role is often developed to decrease health care costs which can be perceived by nurses as being in conflict with their nursing beliefs. The ambiguous nature of the role makes these nurses' daily experiences with decision-making a challenge. Using a phenomenological method, the lived experience of decision-making among telephone advice/triage nurses was explored by conducting multiple interviews with ten nurses. The internal structure of the lived experience was identified through the philosophical perspective …